1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technical field of an electronic apparatus and, more particularly to a technical field of an electronic apparatus equipped with a front panel movably supported to the electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an electronic apparatus such as an audio or navigation device has been widely used as mounted in a vehicle such as an automobile.
The cabinet itself of such an electronic apparatus is typically mounted inside a dashboard of the vehicle, so that because of a necessity of space saving and design restrictions an operation switch for setting operation of the electronic apparatus, a display screen for displaying the operation thereon, etc. are generally disposed on the front panel of the electronic apparatus.
Furthermore, in the case of such an electronic apparatus, its insertion slot for inserting a recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) or MD (mini Disc) is disposed on such an inner wall surface of this electronic apparatus as to be exposed by moving the front panel thereof, a typical configuration of which electronic apparatus is shown in FIG. 7.
An electronic apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 7 comprises: a front panel 12 disposed movable over a housing position (which is shown in FIG. 7A) in a recess shaped front holder 11b provided at the front portion of a cabinet 11 and a expansion position (which is shown in FIG. 7B) at which an inner wall surface 11a of the front holder 11b is exposed on the front side of the electronic apparatus 10; an insertion slot 13 provided on the inner wall surface 11a for inserting a recording medium such as a CD or MD; an upper end support member 14 attached in a rotary manner to the cabinet 11 for supporting an upper end of the front panel 12 and moves the front panel 12; and a moving support member 15 attached to the cabinet 11 in such a manner as to move in the back-and-forth direction of the electronic apparatus 10 for supporting a lower end of the front panel 12.
The upper end support member 14 has its one end portion 14a attached to the cabinet 11 so that it may be attached in a rotary manner to the cabinet 11 with that one end portion 14a acting as a supporting point. Moreover, the upper end support member 14 has it""s the other end portion 14b attached to the upper end of the front panel 12 so that it can support the upper end of the front panel 12 in such a manner that when it has turned around the one end portion 14a as the supporting point, a rear part of the front panel 12 may be inclined backward with respect to the electronic apparatus 10 (or that the front panel 12 inclined may be erected).
The moving support member 15 has its one end portion 15a attached to the lower end of the front panel 12 so that it may support the lower end of the front panel 12 in such a manner as to turn it around the one end portion 15a as a rotary axis while it moves as driven by a drive portion not shown in the back-and-forth direction of the electronic apparatus 10.
In the electronic apparatus 10 having such a configuration, the lower end of the front panel 12 at the housing position can be pushed as turning to the front side of the electronic apparatus 10 when the moving support member 15 moves to the front side of the electronic apparatus 10. Then, the upper end support member 14 is adapted to turn around the one end portion 14a as a supporting point to thereby incline the rear part of the front panel 12 backward with respect to the electronic apparatus 10. Therefore, front panel 12 is moved to the expansion position.
Furthermore, when the front panel 12 is at the expansion position, the inner wall surface 11a hidden by the front panel 12 hitherto is exposed on the front side of the electronic apparatus 10, so that this inner wall surface 11a is provided with the insertion slot 13 for inserting a recording medium therethrough, thus improving the utilization efficiency of the space in front of the electronic apparatus 10.
In these years, on the other hand, a small sized card type recording medium referred to as a memory card has been used commonly, while recently such card type recording medium is adapted to store data used in the above-mentioned type of electronic apparatus so that the data may be used commonly by this electronic apparatus and a personal computer in the home or by a plurality of electronic apparatuses.
In an electronic apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration, however, as shown in FIG. 8, there is a restriction imposed on the exposed space (space where the insertion slot can be disposed) when the front panel 12 is moved to the expansion position and also a restriction imposed on the positional relationship between the insertion slot 13 and a mechanism portion 21 such as the reproduction mechanism portion of a recording medium disposed in the cabinet 11. It is, therefore, difficult to dispose the insertion slot 13 for inserting a recording medium such as a CD or MD and also an insertion slot for inserting a card type recording medium in the inner wall surface 11a. 
That is, to dispose the insertion slot for inserting a card type recording medium as well as the insertion slot 13, it is necessary to have the exposed space more in the inner wall surface 11a and, taking into account a positional relationship between the insertion slot for inserting a card type recording medium and a mounting portion for mounting the card type recording medium, it is also necessary to increase a movement distance of the front panel 12.
For example, as shown in FIG. 9, it is necessary to dispose in the inner wall surface 11a both the insertion slot 13 for inserting a recording medium such as a CD or MD and an insertion slot 22 for inserting a card type recording medium such as a memory card in such a manner that when they are positioned vertically one over the other, the front panel 12 may be moved as protruding out of the range where the electronic apparatus 10 is mounted inside the dashboard, that is, a range of the external profile of the electronic apparatus 10.
In this case, however, there occurs such a problem that the front panel 12 as protruded out of the external profile of the electronic apparatus 10 may hit any other apparatus is mounted inside the dashboard.
Furthermore, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, even if the movement distance of the front panel 12 is increased without protruding it out of the external profile of the electronic apparatus 10 as much as possible, the operation switch etc. on the front surface of the front panel 12 interferes with the movement, thus giving rise to a problem of poor workability in insertion/ejection of the card type recording medium at the insertion slot 22.
To solve these problems, there is a method for attaching a mounting portion, which mounts a card type recording medium, to the moving support member 15. The mounting portion mounts the card type recording medium so that when the moving support member 15 has moved to the front side of the electronic apparatus 10, the insertion slot in the mounting portion itself may be exposed on the front side of the electronic apparatus 10. Such a configuration example of the electronic apparatus 10 is described below.
In FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D, the electronic apparatus 10 is provided, at the side end portion of the moving support member 15 on the side of the front panel 12, with an inclined support member 24 that has a predetermined length and that is inclined upward with respect to the front panel 12 in such a configuration that the tip portion 15a of this inclined support member 24 is a little shifted toward upward from the lower end of the front panel 12. In this configuration, when the moving support member 15 moves to the front side of the electronic apparatus 10, the lower end of the front panel 12 turns around the tip portion 15a as a rotary axis, to thereby expose the insertion slot in a card type recording medium housing portion 23 itself from the rear part side of the front panel 12 thus moved to the expansion position to the forward side of the electronic apparatus 10.
Furthermore, in FIGS. 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D, the electronic apparatus 10 is provided in configuration with a support member 25 having a predetermined length, at the end portion of the moving support member 15 on the side of the front panel 12. This support member 25 has its one end portion 25a attached in a rotary manner to the moving support member 15 and has it""s the other end portion 25b to the lower end of the front panel 12. In this configuration, when the moving support member 15 moves to the front side of the electronic apparatus 10, the support member 25 turns around the one end 25a as a supporting point upward with respect to the front panel 12, while at the same time the lower end of the front panel 12 turns around the other end 25b as a rotary axis to thereby expose the insertion slot in the card recording medium housing portion 23 itself from the rear part side of the front panel 12 thus moved to the expansion position to the front side of the electronic apparatus 10.
In this configuration, as the front panel 12 is moved to the expansion position, the insertion slot in the card type recording medium housing portion 23 can be exposed on the front side of the electronic apparatus 10, thus eliminating the necessity of increasing the movement distance of the front panel 12.
In the electronic apparatus 10 having the configuration of FIGS. 11, however, as shown in FIG. 11D, when the front panel 12 is moved to the expansion position, the insertion slot in the card type recording medium housing portion 23 cannot sufficiently be exposed on the front side of the electronic apparatus 10 because of a restriction on the predetermined length of the inclined support member 24, thus giving rise to a problem that this insertion slot is hidden by the shadow of the front panel 12 to thus extremely reduce the visually recognizable angle of the user. This results in poor workability in insertion/ejection of a card type recording medium for the user.
Furthermore, in the electronic apparatus 10 with the configuration of FIG. 12, the support member 25 turns the lower end of the front panel 12 as turning upward with respect to the front panel 12 (that is, as holding up the lower end of the front panel 12). Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 12B, there occurs such a problem that the upper end of the front panel 12 hits the front holder 11b to thus interferes with the movement of the front panel 12.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, an object thereof is, therefore, to provide an electronic apparatus which can preserve a space exposed on the front side of the electronic apparatus when a front panel of the electronic apparatus is moved, thus improving workability in insertion/ejection of a recording medium by a user.
The above object of present invention can be achieved by an electronic apparatus of the present invention. The electronic apparatus is provided with: a front panel for having a lower end attached to the electronic apparatus so that the front panel turns around the lower end as a rotary axis; and a panel drive mechanism for inclining the front panel so that a front side surface of the front panel faces upward, for moving the lower end in a back-and-forth direction of the electronic apparatus so that the front panel as inclined is erected, and for having a moving support member for moving in the back-and-forth direction of the electronic apparatus, a lower-end support member for having one end attached to the lower end of the front panel to tern the front panel and other end attached to the moving support member so that the lower-end support member turns around, an upper-end support member for supporting an upper end of the front panel so that the upper end moves, and a restriction member for restricting inclination of the front panel while the panel drive mechanism inclines the front panel, wherein when the moving support member moves to the front side of the electronic apparatus, the restriction member restricts the inclination of the front panel, while at the same time turning the lower-end support member as holding up the lower end of the front panel.
According to the present invention, a restriction member restricts inclination operation of a front panel while at the same time turning the lower-end support member as holding up the lower end of the front panel.
Accordingly, it is possible to incline the front panel smoothly and to preserve a relatively large space on the rear side of the inclined front panel.
In one aspect of the present invention, the electronic apparatus is further provided with; the restriction member has a guide groove formed roughly obliquely upward from the front side to the back side of the electronic apparatus; the guide groove has, at a roughly central portion of the guide groove, a parallel portion formed parallel to a direction in which the moving support member moves; the upper-end support member has one end supporting the upper end of the front panel so that the upper end moves and the other end fit in the guide groove so that the other end moves; and when the moving support member moves to the front side of the electronic apparatus, the restriction member moves the other end of the upper-end support member along the guide groove to restrict the inclination of the front panel.
According to the present invention, the other end of an upper-end support member is moved along a guide groove to control the inclination operation of the front panel.
Accordingly, it is possible to restrict the inclination operation in a simple configuration. Moreover, because the other end of the upper-end support member is moved along the guide groove so that the turning of the lower-end support member is not affected, it is possible to restrict the inclination operation of the front panel securely.
In one aspect of the present invention, the electronic apparatus is further provided with; after inclining the front panel at angle set up beforehand, the restriction member uses the parallel portion to move the other end of the upper-end support member parallel to itself and turns the lower-end support member as holding up the lower end of the front panel; and after the lower end of the front panel turns, the restriction member releases the parallel movement of the other end of the upper-end support member to incline the front panel.
According to the present invention, after inclining the front panel at angle set up beforehand, the restriction member uses the parallel portion to move the other end of the upper-end support member parallel to itself and turns the lower-end support member as holding up the lower end of the front panel; and after the lower end of the front panel turns, the restriction member releases the parallel movement of the other end of the upper-end support member to incline the front panel.
Accordingly, it is possible to incline the front panel to such an angle as not to interfere with the turning of the lower-end support member and to turn the front panel. Moreover, it is possible to do the turning of the lower-end support member smoothly, namely, to incline of the front panel smoothly for the purpose of preserving a space on the rear side of the front panel.
In one aspect of the present invention, the electronic apparatus is further provided with; the moving support member is provided with a recording medium housing portion for housing a card type recording medium detachably; and when the panel drive mechanism has inclined the front panel so that the front side of the front panel faces upward, an insertion slot provided in the recording medium housing portion for inserting the card type recording medium is exposed to a region formed in the rear side surface of the front panel of the front side of the electronic apparatus.
According to the present invention, the moving support member is provided with a recording medium housing portion for housing a card type recording medium detachably, and when the panel drive mechanism has inclined the front panel so that the front side of the front panel faces upward, an insertion slot provided in the recording medium housing portion for inserting the card type recording medium is exposed to a region formed in the rear side surface of the front panel of the front side of the electronic apparatus.
Accordingly, because the insertion slot can not be shadowed by the front panel when a user inserts a card type recording medium into the insertion slot or when the user pulls out the card type recording medium from the insertion slot, it is possible to improve the visual recognition by the user as well as workability in insertion/ejection of a card type recording medium.
Furthermore, because the insertion slot in the recording medium housing portion can be exposed on the rear side of the front panel as pushed down, it is possible to enable separating the respective mechanism components of two types of recording media (e.g., a recording medium such as a CD and a card type recording medium such as a memory card) between the upper and lower parts of the front panel pushed down and to provide a layout coordinating a positional relationship between these mechanisms and the mechanism in the cabinet.